some interesting names in the top 30....like the italian rastelli in 4th above the titled compatriot pellegrino. bolshunov has made a strong statement for a 1st russian medal...i would NOT put too much into the relatively modest placings of the norwegians besides klaebo...especially golberg imo can surge...

DJPbaltimore:'John Kerry is an honorable person and would not call out the Russians if there was not evidence', 'the 2 of you are russia stooges'in foreign policy there are no eternal friendships or eternal enemies, only eternal interests

some interesting names in the top 30....like the italian rastelli in 4th above the titled compatriot pellegrino. bolshunov has made a strong statement for a 1st russian medal...i would NOT put too much into the relatively modest placings of the norwegians besides klaebo...especially golberg imo can surge...

Finals (men) feels much more open now after qual round than one would have expected. Can still be a completely red podium though.

exciting finals. if someone told me before the race that falla will barely beat a young russian, i'd question them.klaebo unmatched. it's not superiority, it is dominance. congrats to pelle and particularly to a very young bolshunov who has a bright future. good to see an open competition where norway was a factor.

DJPbaltimore:'John Kerry is an honorable person and would not call out the Russians if there was not evidence', 'the 2 of you are russia stooges'in foreign policy there are no eternal friendships or eternal enemies, only eternal interests

If Ustyugov with form from Lahti last year was here (and considering how well Bolshunov, Nepryaeva, Belorukova and Spitsov looked, I don't see why not). Both skiathlon and sprint would be much different, well done IOC.

DenisMenchov wrote:If Ustyugov with form from Lahti last year was here (and considering how well Bolshunov, Nepryaeva, Belorukova and Spitsov looked, I don't see why not). Both skiathlon and sprint would be much different, well done IOC.

If northug was here with his best form maybe it would make a difference as well. But ustigov is currently number 10 in the sprint standings so I don't see why it would have made any difference whatsoever.

Idunno Python, I think you sell Belorukova short, she's been really good in a few sprints this season, especially in Classic, being unlucky to miss out on the final in Planica and hitting the podium in Ruka. Falla and Nilsson were obviously the top 2, season long and in qualifying, but it was clear in the quarters that Stina was getting through more comfortably than Maiken.

Singer - Ustiugov has missed a few events in fairness. The last Classic sprint he entered, he was on the podium, but the time before that he failed to qualify. The cancellation of the Oberstdorf event means meaningful conclusions are hard to reach, in fairness. However we ought to point out that an on-form Ustiugov is much more likely to be seen in February 2018 than an on-form Northug, so it's far less conjectural to say that an in-form Ustiugov would have made a difference.

old muscle mama not even on the podium...cant say i am going to protest. even though i was rooting for kalla, i do feel happy for parma. as to haga's gold - not a huge surprise.

among other observations: it seems diggins is steeling the johaug's title for a fury cadence queen. whatever it takes to get up the hill... and she did it well enough to take the 5th. not bad.

DJPbaltimore:'John Kerry is an honorable person and would not call out the Russians if there was not evidence', 'the 2 of you are russia stooges'in foreign policy there are no eternal friendships or eternal enemies, only eternal interests

Thanks, meat..i looked at the fis lntermidiate list, saw what i WANTED TO SEE:-) and turned my set off

DJPbaltimore:'John Kerry is an honorable person and would not call out the Russians if there was not evidence', 'the 2 of you are russia stooges'in foreign policy there are no eternal friendships or eternal enemies, only eternal interests

DJPbaltimore:'John Kerry is an honorable person and would not call out the Russians if there was not evidence', 'the 2 of you are russia stooges'in foreign policy there are no eternal friendships or eternal enemies, only eternal interests

That's crazy from Öberg. Dasha was barely faster than her. I'd actually feel a bit sorry for Kuzmina if she didn't win a single gold medal the way she's being racing this season, but you don't deserve victories, you earn them. Still pretty gutted Magdalena Forsberg didn't win a single olympic gold.